Gone Behind The Scenes
by Fayzed
Summary: Same place, Perdido Beach, same FAYZ, different characters. Follow, so far, Marvin, Simon, Daze, and Veronica, as they advance through the story you all loved; gone. Please Read And Review, looking for bad or good, they all help. want to have a story published? adventure or romance? mystery or a who done it? PM me.
1. Chapter 1, Marvin and Simon

Gone: Behind the scenes.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own gone or most characters in this story, some are mine, the rest follow the author.

_Crack, clank clank. _Marvin looked up, puzzled about the broken glass. He was in the detention hall in Perido Beach's middle school. He was caught with his friend James stealing some money from a kid. But then he realized; James wasn't there. He looked around the classroom puzzled, but he saw no one. Mr. Moor, the detention teacher, wasn't there either. He got up to look around. He saw James's backpack, but no James. He walked to the front of the class, almost impaling his foot on the broken shards of glass on the floor. It was like whoever was holding the coffee pot just suddenly… disappeared.

Marvin peeked his head out of the classroom, to see if this was some prank. But before he could see any teachers, he saw students looking out the other classrooms, as well. He opened the door more and walked outside the classroom, looking for teachers. None. He walked down the hall, as some kids were doing now, looking for their teachers, he supposed. But he didn't see anyone. Not long after, it was a mad house, without teachers there, kids went wild. He walked farther down till he saw Kane, one of his friends.

"Hey, Kane, what happened?"

"Did your teacher just… disappear too?" Kane replied, with a look on his face that says 'what the f*ck am I doing?'

"Well, yeah… wait... No adults are in the school?! Freedom!" he yelled, at the top of his lungs, getting some kids around him juttered up and some started to run around frantic.

"Hey, Marvin, You know that locked mini-fridge teachers keep in their lounge? Kane produced a titanium bat from his backpack and gave a smile that said, 'all right'.

"I call the cake!" Marvin exclaimed, and they both started running down the hall to the teachers' lounge.

Simon, had recess time when it happened, he was out there with two, 15 year olds that were trying to rob him of his money.

"Give it up little bug or I'll crush you like a… a… a bug!" one bellowed, almost towering over him.

"Yeah, little man, hand it over, we only want the money, give it to us and you walk away Scott free." The other said, but he seemed to have a more intimidating sound in his voice.

"But, this is all I have…" Simon pleaded, that didn't do anything, where was a teacher when he needed them?

"Listen, give me the money or I'll give you lunch. Today's special: knuckle sandwich." He cracked his knuckled right in front of Simon's face.

"Go ahead, I'd rather it than losing my money!" Simon retorted back.

"Alright, your choice." The big bully said, he raised his fist and Simon put his hands over his face, waiting for the impact. Nothing. Twenty seconds. Fifty. He took a peak from behind his hands and he didn't see them, the bullies. He saw some other kids that were outside looking around, but he didn't see the teacher that was usually outside, nor did he see many of the eighth graders, or ninth, and defiantly no one older. He ran off the playground, and ran toward his house. It couldn't be, it just couldn't.

He burst into his house, and he ran into his bedroom and opened his laptop, he scrolled down the list of his documents, he had one day wanted to be a writer, so he written starting of books he never finished. _It can't be happening, it just can't be. _He scrolled down and then he found what he was looking for; Dreams. He opened the file, and looked through it. Simon, had learned at an early age that, somehow, his dreams would review things that were going to happen, or might. Sometimes, it would be little things like, when he was going to scrap his knee playing soccer, other times it was something like, who is going to win the super bowl? But every now-and-again, he would have awful, awful dreams.

He opened the file he named 'nightmares'. He scrolled down, then he saw it; November 17, one year ago. Ever since he learned of this 'gift' he kept a journal of his dreams. And almost everything had happen in every other category, except nightmares, nothing in this had ever happen, at least, not yet. But there it was: 'I had another nightmare last night, something about a wall coming around Perido beach? I have no idea what it was, it looked like… like a milky barrier, impenetrable… well, ALMOST impenetrable, I found a way to get out of it. but what was weird was that, all the people over 15 were gone… but when I got out, there they were, they were all standing there… but it wasn't what was outside the barrier, they were all standing, hand in hand, around the barrier, like when in '_The Grinch Steals Christmas' _when the who's were around the tree. Only, half the adults I didn't recognize. They were all saying something… or more like chanting… they all were saying: 'Hungry in the Dark'. About the tenth time they said it, this big creature rose from the inside of the barrier, and then everyone started chanting… Gaiphage… something like that. It was one of my weirdest dreams.

Simon closed the laptop slowly. Then his head fell on it, and he started to sob. He knew what came next, he realized. And he knew… ALMOST knew how to get out… but, he hopped, this dream was an exaggeration of what was going to happen. If it wasn't, then even all of god's power couldn't help them. "Hungry, hungry in the dark. I have need for you now." A voice in the back of his head said, Simon had been in there with it. he had… or he thinks he had seen it…

"God help us…" he said, then he started mumbling in a religious fashion.


	2. Chapter 2, Daze and Veronica

Fire. One word was in the front of everyone's mind, and that was fire. A crowd of kids had accumulatively collected in the plaza, and they were all watching the same thing; fire. He saw another small group of kids push their way to the front of the group, right next to Daze. Daze had brown hair, and she had bright red cheeks, almost always full, she never wore any makeup although people often commented on the makeup. She wore brown leather, like from _Indiana jones._ She looked over and saw only one face she recognized: school bus Sammy, who had saved them all when a driver had a heart attack while driving the bus.

"Is anyone in there?" someone in the group called out. Silence.

"It could spread," school bus Sammy said.

"There's no 911," someone pointed out.

"If it spreads, it could burn down half the town."

"You see any firemen here?" a helpless shrug.

It seemed that the building would easily spread, and, like someone had pointed out, could take half the town. Daze looked at the crowd behind her; they were all just standing there.

"Great," school bus Sammy mumbled, "he pulled over two guys, roughly twelve each, and said, "You guys go to the day care. Tell them to get the littles out of there." He got blank stares in return.

"Now. Go. Do it!" he raised his voice, and the two started running in. He pointed at two kids and said, "You and you. Go into the hardware store; get the longest hose you can find. Get a spray nozzle, too. I think there's a spigot in that ally. Start spraying water on the side of the hardware store and up on the roof." He received blank stares in return, again.

"Dudes, not tomorrow. Now. Now Go! Quinn," he addressed one of the kids he had come with, "You better go with them. We want to wet down the hardware store—that's where the wind will take the fire next." She saw the boy hesitate to go. Although she had already tried 911 earlier, it still seemed like they would come. Or at least should. School bus Sammy now pushed to the front of the group and then got on a bench and said, "hey, listen up, this isn't the Disney Chanel. We can't just watch this happen. There are no adults. There's no fire department. _We _are the fire department."

Then a Mexican kid came up, Daze thought his name was armadillo or something like that. "Sam's right. What do you need Sam. I'm with you.

"Okay, Quinn? The hoses from the hardware store. Edilio?" that was his name, Edilio, Daze thought. "Let's get the big hoses from the fire station, hook 'em up to the hydrant."

"They'll be heavy. I'll need some strong guys."

"You, you, you, you." Sam grabbed each of the people he addressee's shoulder, pushing them to go. "Come on. You, you. Let's go!"

Then a sound from the burning building distracted everyone.

Everyone froze.

Daze could barely speak, but she managed to moan out, "there's someone in there."

"Quiet," Sam said, and it fell so quiet, you could hear a pin dropping.

Then you heard it. "Mommy." And then again, "Mommy"

Few seconds later, a big gruff kid mimicked the crying voice, "Mommy, I'm scared." You could see people drawing away from him. "What?" he said.

Then Howard, Orc's shadow, said, "Don't worry, school bus Sam will save us all, won't you, Sam?" Daze had never really liked either Howard or Orc, but they were taking this too far. At this point, daze couldn't take anything more, so she broke off the pack and walked toward her house, she knew what she would find; but she still wanted to check.

Sitting in detention, for having put a nail into a teacher's chair, sat Veronica when it happened. She was well known for being a teaser, and was good at it. She was beautiful, with black long hair, and she had a nice tan. She had got a tattoo from one of her boyfriends of a butterfly on the side of her cheek, and she almost always wore short skirts and tank tops, that was, when she wasn't in her Coats uniform. She had always thought, and was often told, 'why have big jugs if you not going to show them off'? She really had no true friends at Coats, but she could always get boys to drool over, and in one case, Dekka.

She was doodling in her notebook when the teacher disappeared. She hadn't noticed at first, no one had, the detention teacher, Mr. Sears, was always out of site, so when someone finally did get up and look around, it had been about a half hour since the poof. Right as someone said the teacher was gone; an announcement came over the speakers, saying:

"Attention, coats students. Report to the auditorium right away."  
After that, all the detention students, knowing that if they were late, ran out of the room and to the auditorium. Btu something didn't stick to Veronica; why was the voice on the speaker a kid? It hadn't made sense.

After arriving at the auditorium and waiting another half hour, someone on stage came out and said to be quiet. On the way to the auditorium, Veronica had heard that the adults had disappeared mysteriously. After hearing the announcement, she wasn't sure if it was true, but now seeing that there were no adults in the room, she pondered. The kid walked to the middle of the stage, then he said in a voice that Veronica had found… almost sexy…

"Hello, coats academy." He addressed us, about fifty of us. "My name is Caine, and we have hit tragedy, everyone over fifteen has disappeared. And, even stranger still, there seems to be a giant… bubble… incasing Part of Perdido Beach, coats, and some of the other land around us." He gestured right and left, as if addressing the room, "and before we can do anything; we need a leader. Anyone volunteer?" no one moved. "Then I nominate myself for that leader."

"Hey, who died and made you king!" one of the boys in the crowd shouted.

"Yeah, and who says the adults are gone… on second thought, prove there's a big bubble around us!"

"We don't believe it!"

"Yeah!" people were just blurting out accusations.

"People, people, settle down." Cain gestured around the room, settling people down. "Please, I beg you to consider adapting me as your leader. I mean, If I wasn't, who would be?"

"Well… he has a point…" someone next to her said. Diana, one of the only girls who could match her beauty, but barely.

"Right, I do have a point. But Diana, I know you and I are friends, so I would like you to become vice leader, would you like to?" Caine said. Veronica thought she say Diana's eye twitch in anger, but maybe it was just her.

"I would love to." She walked up to the stage and stood next to Caine, smiling, although her eyes clearly said, 'kill me now'.

"Great, then no one is to object?" no one said anything, or moved. "Great, I would like to personally meat all of you, I will come to your dorms tonight with Diana and greet you all. Meeting adjourned.

It was night when Caine had finally arrived at her dorm. She let him in. "hello, Caine, nice speech earlier."

"Why thank you… um… sorry, I didn't catch your name…"

"Ver-"she shuddered, she had always had a crush on Caine, but she always thought that him and Diana were going out. She still wasn't sure. "Veronica." She smiled and tried to look innocent, like she always did when she tried flirting with boys. Either Caine didn't notice, or he ignored.

"Why hello Veronica." He stuck out his hand to shake, and she took it. He was so strong… she thought she would faint… she knew what she was going to do tonight.

"Hello," Diana addressed her, her smile said, 'HI', her eyes said; bite me. She also stuck out her hand to greet her, with hesitation, Veronica took it. When she tried to pull it away, Diana hung onto it and squeezed. Then she yanked it away, and Diana turned a smile, and then said, "Nice to meet you."

"Wish I could say the feeling mutual…" Veronica mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear?"

"Nothing."

"Ok, then, see you around" Diana stepped outside and went to the next door.

"Well… sorry about Diana's behavior, she is kind of sad about the adults diapering…" Caine said.

"Oh, I-it's no problem." Veronica replied, caught staring into his eyes.

"So… before I go, I have a question, would you tell me the answer?"

"Um... Sure!

"I don't suppose you have… any magic tricks like… teleporting, or, levitating, or camouflage, or… anything?"

Veronica froze. She did have a power. How did Caine know? "Nope, sorry." She must have had a surprised look on her face, because Caine's smile disappeared for a split second, and then came back.

"Ok then, I'll see you around, veronica."

"Yeah, I'll see you." She said, still a little dazed. Caine left and shut the door, immediately veronica went to the dresser where she kept her most personal secrets. She pulled out the photo of her mom and dad, and of her and her twin, Seri, she looked exactly like her, only she lacked one thing. They had all died. She had lived, she thanked god that she survived, but it was only because of her power. Still looking at the picture, she went to the opposite side of the room that was about 18 x 13 foot room, the dresser was on one side, the bed on the other. She lay down on the bed, as a tear ran from her eye. Still feeling turned on, and wanting to get that out of her system, plus forget about that night, without getting up, she stretched her arm over to the dresser, put the picture back inside, grabbed… something else, and turned the lights off, then she redrew her arm back. She finally fell asleep about forty five minutes later.


	3. Chapter 3, Veronica Bad Day

: WARNING: IN THIS CHAPTER SOME DIALOGE AND ACTIONS MAY NOT BE SUITIBAL FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13! Read At Your Own Risk.

Veronica woke up in the morning in the same position she fell asleep in. after… 'Finishing' she fell asleep, so now the bed smelled so sweat, and so did she. She cleaned and put everything back in the drawer, then went into the bathroom she had. The events in her head were still bussing around; she didn't like a lot of the adults, so that was an upside. She went into the bathroom and undressed, shoved her clothes aside and she started the shower.

She got in the shower, hot water, she always felt relaxed in the shower. One place where she could get away from life, where could just-

"Having fun?" a voice asked behind her, she turned around and she saw Drake, one of the messed up kids in the school. This was worse than messed up.

"Ahh, Drake! What the Hell, get out!" she screamed, franticly trying to cover herself up with her hands, that she had stretched about half a foot out, and covered herself with a flesh stretched towel.

"Interesting… so you have the power to stretch your hands? Must be a good one to get a three."

"What the hell Drake, get the hell out!" She screamed.

"Make me, bitch." Drake retorted, she knew Drake, and he was sick. She wasn't going to win this on.

"Drake! What do you want from me?" she shrank back to the corner of the shower.

"Only-"he paused and turned off the water. "Only your co-operation." He grinned, and advanced.

"Help! Rape! Rape!" she cowered in the corner, knowing what he wanted.

"You wish little bitch. You wish." He produced a cloth covered in something and slowly approached. He lunged out, seized her by her hair and twisted her head back toward his, he put the rag to her mouth and she started to cough, she knew what he wanted. She uncovered herself and punched Drake in the face, which made him stutter back. Veronica had always had trouble with medications; they wouldn't work, or wouldn't work as fast. She once needed her appendix removed, but she waited 3 minutes for the sleeping gas to kick in, although it usually took 10 seconds to work. What also worried her is that she didn't have the mask on for three minutes, only about 20 seconds. The cloth was about 15 seconds. Something to worry about. "You're going to pay for that you little fag." She saw him spit some blood out of his mouth, feeling proud that he had hurt him in some way.

The punch gave her some time to jump out of the tub and make a run for the door, but she only got half way into the room, then she fell over, and as her eyesight grew smudgy, she could make out drake walking toward her with a bundle of rope that he had had on his back. Right before she blacked out, she gave him the finger.

She woke up, barely remembering what had happened. She tried to stand up- but something was holding her down. A block of... cement on her hands? Then, she remembered what had happened in her room. She looked around, and she noticed she was outside, she quickly looked back to see if she was still naked. Relieved to fine, she wasn't. She then noticed she was wearing a collar and a rope was connected to… a stick? She looked around and saw others the same way, with their hand in concrete and leashed like they were pets. Feeling self-conscious, she looked back to see what she was wearing; her bra and her thong. Feeling utterly embarrassed, she tried to move her hands to cover herself- only to remember where her hands were- incase in cement.

She was sore all over; she was bleeding, like most of the other captives, and bruised. She wasn't the only one that seemed to be caught when they were in the shower; there were two boys, both about 13, in their underwear. Then there was one other girl, who was still knocked out, and butt naked lying in the grass. She considered herself lucky to be clothed.

She addressed one of the girls left to her. "What the hell is happening around here!?"

The girl spun her head and looked at Veronica, and whispered "they're treating us like dogs! They came to my cabin, Caine and Diana, and then I heard some talking about "putting the mutt where she belonged, then five minutes later, and Drake was in there and he put me under!" she looked scared, she looked around and saw one of the boys that Veronica had seen around school, and then she got down on the ground and acted like a dog. Once he passed, she whispered; "if you act like a human, they'll beat you and won't give you food. And if it happens a second time they'll give you to Drake, the messed up syco! Its liv-"

Veronica watched as one of the guards- a guy about 14 – ran up and kicked her in the gut. "When I say act like a filthy mutt, I mean stay as a filthy mutt!" the boy blurted, then he walked away, never taking his eyes off them. The girl had lost her lunch on the grass to the left of her, and then she fell toward that direction, only she slowed for a second, and Veronica heard a 'crack'.

"Ahhhhgh!" the girl screamed, and then she fell in her own puke pile crying about the pain. Veronica had known what happen; she popped her shoulder out of alignment. One of the guys came over to her, and said;

"Hey, we got an injured here, what do we do?" at this point, the girl was moaning about her arm, with tears running down her cheeks.

"Bring her over to the side of the hill, toss her down. We can't afford any health care."

"But… boss, that seems a little harsh?"

"Do it or I'll make sure you're the one that replaces her." Drake stepped out of the shadow, and untied the rope and gave it to the kid, who hesitated to take it, but then did. He started to pull the rope, waiting for the girl to follow, but she couldn't move he shoulder, which was now turning purple. He yanked the rope again, but she didn't follow. She was on her side with her left arm out of the socket, and he was expecting her to walk. He tried to drag her, but she still didn't budge. "For satins sake…" Drake walked up to the girl, he yanked the girl up and Veronica heard another snap, she looked away, and when she heard Drake said; "drag her now" she looked back.

Her mouth fell open. The girl had her wrists still bound to the cement block, and her back was on it, her shoulders were twisted at sickening angles, and she was still alive. The boy hesitated, but when Drake looked at him, he started dragging. The girl, still alive, was being dragged on the ground, with a cinder block attached to her hands. It was like someone putting a cinder block on your feet then hanging you. A minute later and the girl was still alive, at the edge of the hill, the guy pushed the cinder block off the edge, then the most disturbing sight she had ever seen; the cinder block ripped one of the girls arms off.

Veronica tried to look away, but couldn't. She could see the rest of the kids like this, too. The girl was on her back, head to the side of the hill, with the rope still around her. Still, miraculously alive, screaming in agony. The boy, surprised by the sight, yanked the rope when he had jumped back by the grotesque sight. She heard a snap, and the girl was dead. Her neck had been cracked. The boy threw the rope and the body tumbled from sight.

Veronica looked at drake, which looked like he was watching a comedy, because he laughed. He strolls past her, and then he stopped, reversed his steps, and addressed her. "Too bad about your friend there. Oh, you're welcome about earlier, and by the way, take care of It." he laughed again.

"You're sick, Drake. You need help." Veronica said.

"I'll let that slide because it was a compliment. But you should learn your lesson about speaking." He got on his knee next to Veronica, took out his knife, and cut along her arm, leaving a cut about 5 millimeters deep, and bleeding. Before she could scream, Drake said; "you make noise, it happens to your other arm." Veronica bit her toung, holding it in. then Drake said; "lick your arm. Do it or else." He wielded his knife next to her. She could feel the blood running down her arm. Drake smiled a sick smile, so she licked her cut all the way up. "Swallow the blood." She did. Then, without warning, Drake punch her across the face. She felt a tooth come loose and she spit it out and a mouth load of blood. "That was for yesterday." He laughed his maniacal laugh as he got up and walked up.

"I'll kill you Drake." She coughed up more blood. "someday." Then she passed out.


	4. Chapter 4, Simon says

Hey guys; sorry for not posting for a while, my com smashed and… eh, you don't wanna hear about my life. But, again, sorry.

Chapter 4; Simon says, and Marvin doesn't

"Simon! Yo" a hard knocking on the door. "Simon? You in there, man?" It was his friend, Jake. He was pounding on the door; it was so loud he could hear it from his room, on the second floor.

"Yeah!" he shouted back, as he proceeded to the door. He turned the knob and opened the door. "Come in, quick! Close the door and get in here!" before Jake could finished, Simon grabbed Jake and pulled him in the door, slamming it behind him.

"Wow, man, what's the rush? Where's the fire?" Simon winced as memories of dreams came back.

"It's the FAYZ, man, it's the FAYZ!" Simon screamed back, dragging Jake into the kitchen.

"Wow, I heard that you've been walled up in here. How'd you know the term?" Jake asked, with suspicion.

"The dreams! Jake, the dreams! Their real! The barrier, the ages! It's all here in this!" he thrust his laptop at Jake with the nightmare folder open. He proceeded to tear through the cupboards taking food and stacking it in boxes.

"Wow, man, calm down… this no parent thing got you crazy?" Jake asked, looking back with a 'WTF' sneer.

"It's not just that! That's just the beginning, not the end! Look at the documents! Look! I have them labeled, look at them all! There the history, but our future. This hasn't happened, but it will man! It will!" he said, pointing at the documents on the computer, and pointing all around him.

"Wow, man" Jake said, holding up his hands and backing away, "dude, this thing has got you crazy… you need a doctor." He looked with a curious look at him.

"Oh, then, why don't you go get Lana!" Simon retorted, grinding his esophagus on the last few words.

"What… the girl that comes into town so often? You okay, man?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine, juuuuuuuuuuust fine!" he said, with a scarily weird grin. "I have a steel bunker, oh yes, no coyotes, no Drake! Caine! Oh yes, none! I'll be safe, not even Sam will be able to get in." he said, with a devilishly weird grin on his face.

"Umm… do… do you need a guy in white to take you away into the happy hospital?" he said, backing toward the door.

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I'M CRAZY!" Simon yelled.

"Oh… uh… dude, take some ibuprofen and lie down… ok? I'll… I'll be back at six… tried to… stay calm?" he said, eager to go out.

"Ok, just get back before Caine; I'm locking the door at the thanksgiving battle." Simon yelled back, like it was old and casual news.

"Umm… ok, you do that... I'll… see you later… I guess…" Jake said, backing out of the room and bolting.

It had been three days since the fall of the FAYZ. The previous days, he had gone out to collect some final stuff for the bunker, he had looted the houses next to him for useful provisions. He would spend a year, maybe forever, in there. _Come to me. Come._

No, Simon thought, I won't.


	5. Chapter 5, Marvin the Martion

Chapter 5: Marvin

Marvin and Kane, sugar high and almost regular high, too, were at the school. Since the 'poof', as their calling it now, happened, they had found a cellar stash of Pepsi and coke. But some kids had been running through town strangely gathering kids up telling them to come to the plaza. Although they had been quite comfortable, they thought it would be good to get out there, to show kids he was still around. Just as they got to the plaza, they saw some black BMWs pulling up along the road. Kids climbed out of each of the four cars. They wore black slacks and white shirts. Girls wore pleated black skirts and matching knee-high socks. Both boys and girls had on blazers in a subdued shade of red, with a large crest sewn over the heart. Boys and girls alike wore striped ties of red, black, and gold.

The crest featured ornate letters "C" and "A" in gold thread over a background that showed a golden eagle and a mountain lion. Beneath the crest was the Latin motto of Coates Academy; _Ad augusta, per angusta. _They didn't know what it meant, but it was sure stupid.  
The Coates kids stepped out of the cars and preceded into a line- a military formation, maybe- and stood at attention. It was defiantly practiced. Marvin never really like Coates kids, they were too… snoody. He had once beat one up, jack or something… it was a nerdy one. Then one boy, wearing a bright yellow V neck sweater instead of his blazer, stood up in the convertible. He grinned sheepishly and climbed out of the top, and onto the trunk. He gave a little wave witch, to Marvin's opinion, looked like something a princess would do.

"Hi, everyone," he said. "I'm Caine Soren. You probably figured out that I… we… are from Coates Academy. Either that or we all just have the same bad taste in clothing. Couple people laughed, but most faces were still. "I know there's a tradition of rivalry between the kids of Coates Academy and the kids of Perdido Beach," Caine said. "Well, that was the old days. It looks to me like we're all in this together. We all have the same problems, don't you think?" Some nods were given in response, not to many.

"Do you know what happened?" a voice shouted out.

"No. I don't think we probably know any more than you. Everyone fifteen and over disappeared. And there's a wall, the barrier."

"We call it the FAYZ," Howard shouted back. Marvin never really liked Howard; he spent too much time hanging out with Orc, just to get "street credits".

"The phase?" Caine said, with an interested look.

"F-A-Y-Z. Fallout Alley Youth Zone."

Caine stood there for a moment, pondering that. "That's excellent. Did you come up with that?"

"Yeah"

"It's vital to keep a sense of humor when the world seems to have suddenly become a very strange place, what's your name?"

"Howard. I'm the Captain's number-one guy. Captain Orc."

Everyone in the crowd seemed to adjust at the mentioning of Orc. It looked like Caine could feel it.

"I hope you and Captain Orc will join me and anyone else who wants to sit down and talk about our plans for the future. Because we do have a plan for the future." Caine said, emphasizing his last sentence.

"I want my mom," a little boy cried out. He had said what they were all feeling.

Caine hopped off the car and strolled over to the little boy; he knelt down and took the boy's hands into his own. He asked his name and, after introducing themselves, he said; "We all want our parents back, we all want that. And I believe that will happen. I believe we will see all our moms and dads, and older brothers and sisters, and even our teachers again." God forbid the last part, Marvin thought. "I believe that. Do you, too?"

"Yes." The little boy sobbed.

Caine wrapped him in a hug and then said, "Be strong. Be your mommy's strong little boy."

"He's good," some girl said, he looked to his left and saw that some girl, he thinks her name is ass-turd, or, at least, that's what he hears people calling her. "He's beyond good."

Then Caine stood up. People had formed a circle around him, close but respectful. "We all have to be strong. We all have to get through this. If we work together to choose good leaders and do the right thing, we will make it."

The entire crowd of kids seemed to stand just a bit taller, with looks on their faces of determination.

"If it's okay with everyone here, I would like to borrow your church. I would like to sit down with your leaders, in the presence of our lord, and discuss my plan, and any changes you want to make to it. Are there, maybe, a dozen people who could speak for you?" Caine said, looking out to the crowd.

"Me," Orc said, shouldering his way forward. He carried his aluminum baseball bat, and a police man's helmet. One of the helmet's bike cops used to wear.

"You must be captain Orc."

"Yeah, that's me."

Caine stuck out his hand, "I', honored to meet you, captain."

Orc's mouth gaped open. Probably the first time that anyone had ever said they were honored to meet him. Orc glanced at Howard, but Howard was looking from Caine to Orc, sizing up the situation.

"He's paying you props, captain," Howard said. Orc grunted and shifter the bat from right to left, and took Caine's hand.

"Smooth," ass-turd said under her breath.

Still holding Orc's hand in his, Caine said, "Now, who else speaks for Perdido Beach?"

"One of the fat girls, Bouncing Bette, said "Sam temple here went into a burning building to rescue a little girl. He can speak for me, anyway."

"Yeah, Sam is a hero for real," someone said.

"He could have died," another voice said.

"Yeah, Sam's the guy," Kane said. Personally, Marvin did like Sam; he was on the bus Sam saved. He thought that he could stand up for him anytime. He could see Caine's smile flicker. Caine walked up to Sam, who was right next to ass-turd, and extended his hand.

"There are probably better people than me," Sam said, backing away. But Caine grabbed his elbow and forced him into a handshake.

"Sam, is it? It sounds like you truly are a hero. Are you related to our nurse, Connie temple?"

"She's my mother."

"I'm not surprised that she would have a brave son," Caine said, "She's a very good woman. I see you are humble as well as brave, Sam, but I… I'm asking for your help. I need your help." Aw, blech, Marvin thought, I know a brain-washer when I see one. Just like Diana.

"Okay," Sam said, "If that's what people want."

Mentioning went on for a few seconds later, until he saw her. Diana. He knew what she would ask to do with him if she saw him, he had to run. He worked his way through the crowd, leaving Kane not even noticing he was gone. Diana, the reader. He had heard, and even seen that, before. He had heard the rumors, but he had just put the two and two together. Diana, Caine. If Diana saw him, read him, he was dead. Not many people develop the powers, even fewer have something useful. Then there were the rarest, the three bars.

He was one of them.


End file.
